Process of and apparatus for coloring meerschaum



R. S. G0'ETZ AND E. S. HUDICH. PROCESS or AND APPARATUS FOR COLORING MEERSCHAUMJ APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24. I920.

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

\ RODERICK S. GOETZ AND EMIL BUDICL'I, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF AND AEPARATUEl EOE COLORING MEERSCHAUM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pat gn ted, Apr", 18, 192%,

Application filed September 24, 1920. Serial No. 412,473.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, lionnnroi; S. Gonrz, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, N. Y., and Emir. S. Boston, a subject 01. the King o't lioumania, residing at New York, N. 1., have invented new and useful improvements in Processes oi and Apparatus for Coloring Meerschaum, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved process of and apparatus for coloring meerschaum, the principal object of the invention being to provide a process by means of which the color so much desired by smokers is imparted to articles such as pipes, cigar and cigarette holders in a very short time, by subjecting the articles to the action of tobacco smoke both at the interior and exterior thereof, and without the use of any foreign substance such as oil, varnish or the like.

it further object or? theinvention is to provide a suitable apparatuslor carrying out the process above reierred to.

With the fore oing and other objects in .'l6\\', which will appear as the description proceeds. the invention consists in the novel roccss and features of construction of the apparatus which will be more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification illustrates in central vertical section a form of apparatus adapted tor carrying out our improved process.

lleierriug to the drawing, A designates a cylindrical member forming a chamber oi sui'licieut to permit the articles to be bodily placed therein. The member A. is

preferabl l cl 0 that the action of the s les may be readily pe ms: the .1 mber.

observed i A v I V suitable maalthough it is obvi. ter v ihout departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. The member A is formed at its lower end with a neck portion of smaller diameter than the body portion, in which neck is inserted a suitable removable stopper B, said stopper having a centrally disposed opening in com munication with the interior of the chamher, and in which opening is snugly fitted a stem D, the inner end of which projects a considerable distance above the inner surface of the stopper, for a purpose to be hereus al may be used wi matter explained. The chamber is closed at its upper end by a removable stopper C, which is preferably, although not neces sarily, made of cork. The stopper C is provided near its periphery with an opening in communication with the interior of the chamber, and in this opening is secured a bowlshaped member E having a small opening or port 0 through its bottom communicating with the chamber in the member A; A suitable support 1, preferably formed of a disc of reticulated material, such for instance as wire fabric, may be provided for supporting the articles to be colored, the, disc being of sufiicient size to permit its edgeto be bent at an angle so as to engage the inner surface of the chamber wall with suilicient friction to retain the support in place. In the drawing are-shown two pipes and a cigar or cigarette holder supported on the support, one of the pipes designated G and the holder H.

in carying out the process, the articles to be colored are placed on the support I in any desired position and the chamber closed by placing th stopper C in the end of the chamber. 'lfhe bowl E is then either filled with tobacco or a cigar or cigarette supported therein in the same manner as in an ordinary holder, it being understood that the bowl may be of any desired size, that is to say, it maybe large enough to hold a considerable quantity of tobacco, or it may be of a size small enough to snugly hold only a cigar or cigarette. Suction is then applied to the end i of the tube or stem D and a lighted match applied to the contents of the bowl 1*, whereupon a large volume of smoke fills the chamber A and settles around and within the articles supported in said chamber. By maintaining sufiicient suction through the stem D to cause the chamber continuo s y filled with a cloud of e. the articles very quickly become thorly saturated and colored throughout thor entire thickness and at all points on their surface.

We have discovered, after considerable experiments, that the best results are obtained by locating the bowl E near the periphery of the stopper, since when it is placed at the center of the stopper, the smoke passes directly downward and out through the tube D, and therefore does not remain in the chamber long enough to accumulate a suflicient volume therein to color the articles,

particularly if such articles are placed near the edge of the support. By placing the bowl near the periphery oi the stopper, however, the smoke is caused to swirl around within the chamber before being lead out through the tube D, and thus alarge volume of smoke will always be in circulation in the chamber solong as sul'licient suction is main- 'tained to keep the material in the bowl E alight and supply lresh smoke to the chamber.

(living to the tact that the tube D projects up above'the stopper B, any condensation of vapor within the chamber will settle on the upper surface of the stopper B and cannot enter the tube D until the space between the upper end of the tube and the upper surface of the stopper is completely filled. The stopper B is removed from time to time and cleaned so as to prevent the condensationentering the tube D. The suction maybe produced in the ordinary way, by the operator placing the end F01": the tube in his mouth and sucking thereon. thus creating a vacuum in the chamber A and causing the smoke from the bowl E to enter the chamber. In this manner a smoker can enjoy the comfort derived from smoking the tobacco, while at the same time he is coloring his pipes, etc, for future use. On the ther hanchtor the purpose of commercially coloring the articles regardless of the use of tobacco from the smokers standpoint some suitable form of vacuum-creating apparatus maybe placed in communication with the tube D and the chamber A and its bowl may be of sufficient size to operate on a large number of articles at the same time. 'VVe have found that'a smoker, by subjecting his pipe to the action of tobacco smoke in the manner hereinbefore described, while smoking only his customary quantity of tobacco,

can within a couple of weeks impart to such articles atar more thorough and beautiful coloring-than it was possible to do by even a year ormore of smoking in the ordinary way. 7

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. The process of coloring articles 7 of meersch'aum, which consists in supporting such articles in a closed vessel and passing aaee a volume of tobacco smoke through said vessel in contact with such articles.

2. The process of coloring articles of meerschaum, which consists in supporting such articles in a closed vessel, creating a partial vacuum in said vessel, andra-using tobacco smoke to enter the vessel in contact with such articles. I

3. An apparatus for coloring articles of meerschaum, comprising a vessel, a tube in communication with said vessel, a bowl. in communication with said vessel, and means for supporting the articles to be colored within the vessel between such bowl and said tube.

An apparatus for coloring meerschaum, comprising a cylindrical vessel, a tube in communication. with said vessel; a bowl in communication With the vessel but eccentrically disposed with relation to the axis of the vessel, and means for supporting the meerschaum between said fbowl and said tube.

5. An apparatus ior coloring articles of meerschaum, comprising a cylindrical vessel provided at its opposite ends with removable stoppers, a suction tube passing through one of said stoppers into communication with said vessel, and extending beyond said stopper, a bowl. carried by the other stopper and in communication with said vessel, said bowl being eccentrically disposed with relation to the stopper, and means for supporting the articles within said vessel between said bowl and tube.

6. An apparatus for coloring articles of meerschaum, comprising a cylindrical vessel provided at its opposite ends with removable stoppers, a suction tube passing through one of said stoppers into COIIlDIUIHCZLtlOIl' with said vessel and extending beyond said stopper, a bowl carried by the other stopper and in communication with said vessel. said bowl being eccentrically disposed with re lation to the stopper, and means for supporting the articles within said vessel be tween said bowl and tube, said means comprising a reticulated member.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

RODERICK S. GOETZ. EMIL S. RUDICH. 

